“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Archive for June 2009
Entrancing and Enticing
There’s nothing more welcoming than an interesting entry to a home. Whether it be from the outside or once you are actually inside, the entry to a home is the ideal place to showcase your individual style and leave the guest dying to know what else is in store.
Red Front Door
A red front door makes a bold statement and promises a very vibrant and exciting household.
A welcoming front door
Once inside the door, a chest of drawers or hall table in the entryway is a great place to keep your keys and other items you need as you race out the door. It is also a great spot to leave the mail.
A round centre table in the hall
Use a fabulous piece of furniture, an elegant lamp, bold artworks,a feature wall or an unusual light fitting to create interest in the entry or hall.
A feature light used to full effect in the entry
An elegant hall table and lamps
An orange feature wall denotes the entry
Once in the entry, often a hall will lead through the rest of the house. These should not be neglected. Again colour, artworks or furniture will give the space personality.
The hall is used as an art gallery
Dramatic colour with high contrast adds interest
Exotic furniture and framed art creates a vignette
And once you’ve tended to the front door, the entry and the hall, don’t forget the back door. We all know it’s not just the tradesmen that use the back door!!! I just love this image I found on Flickr. The very clever owner has painted the inside of the door with blackboard paint. If it leads from the kitchen or the laundry, what a great place to write those last minute notes or a things to do list.
Back door painted with blackboard paint
I’m heading off to buy a can of blackboard paint!!!!
Designer Furniture and Interior Accessories Showcase
Retro Chair in Warwick Sheffield
Warwick Fabrics opened their Sydney showroom to invited decorators, designers and associates yesterday evening to showcase their beautiful fabrics and selected local furniture manufacturers. It was a fabulous way of seeing the fabrics used in bedheads, sofas, dining chairs, and cabinetry and also turned into stunning window coverings and bedroom soft furnishings.
Warwick Fabric collection Xenon on furniture by Sofarie
Australian owned Warwick Fabrics is well known for their quality textiles including upholstery and drapery fabrics in many colours, patterns and textures. Their well stocked showrooms are open to the public with helpful staff on hand.
A luscious bedroom in Warwick Chaville collection fabrics
Boring Beige
I was at a lecture recently given by Babette Hayes, Australia’s first design stylist, who was comparing the interiors of the 1960′s and 1970′s with today’s interiors. She passed the comment that we’ve all become very “safe”. You can’t say that about the interior styles of the 60′s and 70′s. Not a beige anything to be seen anywhere.
1960's dining room
Child's Bedroom of the 1970's
1970's lounge room
Now I’m not advocating that we go crazy with colour but it certainly is uplifting to see a little of it and a combination of textures, patterns and shapes.
I love the first of Jonathan Adler’s ten commandments of Happy Chic – “Thou shalt embrace maximalism. Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern!” Now there’s a man that’s not afraid of colour!
Barbie Dream House by Jonathan Adler
A limited palette of about three colours will prevent the space from looking overdone as it did in the 60′s and 70′s. Combining prints that feature a variety of shapes will add energy. It’s fine to have a neutral sofa but spice it up with a range of cushions in various sizes and colours. The trick is not to have too much pattern as the space will feel busy. The patterns and colours need to complement each other. Make sure there is a place to rest the eye, which is probably what they neglected to do in the swinging 60′s. It is important to leave a clear space between patterned objects.
A carnival of colour to liven up a space
I’m always impressed at the way Brisbane designer John Croft pulls off this mixing of pattern and colour.
John Croft Design uses a combination of colour
Lively lounge room by John Croft Design
So what colours are you going to inject into your home?
Statement Dining
The wallaper feature wall gives this dining room the WOW
I am currently looking at dining suites and other items as I gather ideas for a client. I thought I would share with you these wonderful pictures I’ve found. Mostly they come from Australian House and Garden but a couple come from US sites.
Traditional style table and upholstered high backed chairs
Simple but elegant dining setting with leather upholstered chairs
The mirror leaning against the wall helps reflect light into the room
Plenty of room for all the family and then some at this big table
If you are going to have a formal dining room then it may as well be glamorous
The elegant setting looks at home with the Asian antiques
The dark and moody feel of this room would only be enhanced at night time
Another formal setting with fully upholstered chairs
I was reading that the dining table is returning to a statement piece in the home and will be quite large. I guess that’s because we are all starting to eat and entertain at home rather than putting on our glad rags and heading out.
I like these dining rooms too although they probably suit family dining.
Sleek White table and chairs
I love the mix of modern chairs and old table
You can just imagine sitting down here for a coffee and chat
The banquet dining table seems to be making a comeback. No longer just found in 1950′s style milkbars. They are great space savers too.
Timber Dining Banquet Table and bench
A cosy corner for everyday dining
A table pulled up to a window seat. Look at the clever storage under the seat.
So which one do you like? I can’t decide on my favourite. They are all so different and all look great.
Slim Shelving
Slim Shelving
I’ve just been reading my favourite blogs and thought I’d also let you know about Slim Shelving. Decor8 has written about a great new product called Slim Shelving. What a fabulous idea. A great way to show off your beautiful books and yet keep them within easy reach.
Slim Shelving for the Kitchen
I like the idea of putting it in the kitchen to keep your favourite recipe books at hand.
Slim Shelving for the kids
Or in the kid’s bedroom to entice them to read more often.
Slim Shelving in the Master Bedroom
Or in the master bedroom to make more space on the bedside tables and help cull the clutter.
These shelves are a stylish way to store and display your books and also creates some wall art at a nominal outlay. You can check out the website and order online.
Life’s Journey
I have long been an admirer of paintings by Margaret Olley and as I learnt more about this remarkable grand dame I liked her style even more. So when I read that the S H Ervin Gallery in Sydney was host to a touring exhibition of her work I HAD to go and take a look.
Margaret Olley sketching in Newcastle in 1965
The blurb says that this exhibition “provides an insight into the world around Margaret Olley from the early 1950′s to the the 1970′s”. The watercolours and pen and ink studies on display (which are essentially her travel notes) show scenes of her home town of Brisbane (also mine), Paris, New Guinea, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Venice and Sydney. It is remarkable to think that the then 25 year old travelled the world in 1949 – a very different world than the one I have seen. It was only 2 years since World War II ended.
Brisbane River by Margaret Olley
Better known for her Still Life paintings, these artworks easily show her eye for detail, colour and everyday scenes. Her first trip abroad to London and Paris in 1949 was the beginning of a life-long romance with travel, of visiting museums, paying homage to great art and of exploring cities and cultures of countries throughout the world.
Port Marseille by Margaret Olley
I recommend you visit the gallery before 28th June to view these seldom seen paintings. The exhibition then moves to the Newcastle Regional Gallery and will be on display from 15 August – 26 Ocotber 2009.
Vivid Sydney
Vivid Sydney festival wraps up today. It was billed as the largest music and light festival in the Southern Hemisphere. Gauging the number of people that took to the streets last night (maybe the driest night of the festival) to view the Light Walk Smart Light Sydney it certainly pulled a crowd.
Blue Trees on Observatory Hill
We started at Observatory Hill where the beautiful old trees were illuminated with blue lights and the park benches beneath the trees were spotlighted. We then moved down the hill to the Rocks area passing the 200 year old Garison Church which was light from within making the ornate stained glass windows provide a blaze of colours onto the footpath. Through the Argyle Cut and into the Rocks area. There were numerous light installations on the way and all designed with energy efficiency. As we meandered our way through the Rocks and down to the Harbour we stopped for photos at what was to be our favourite exhibit – Rainbow.
Rainbow Wall, The Rocks Sydney
We arrived at the harbour and followed the crowds to the top level of the Ocean Terminal where we had an uninterrupted view of the magnificent Sydney Opera House with her sails a kaleidoscope of changing colours and patterns. Why can’t it be like that every night?
Sydney Opera Sails
The Museum of Contemporary Art was also used a giant screen for patterns and light which again, changed often. Called “Facade” the textures created on the sandstone building were amazing. At one time it appeared to be dripping confetti and another, covered in red bubbles.
Another favourite of ours was Lumenocity in the Customs House forecourt. Lumenocity is an abstracted energy consumption map of the Sydney CBD. The colour of the lanterns making up the miniature city correlate to the amount of energy consumed, and light pollution emitted, by a particular city block. Lit by the glow of energy efficient fluorescents, Lumenocity creates a landscape that visitors can wander through, and will highlight the energy consumed on a daily basis.
Lumenocity
It was a great night to be out and about on Sydney’s harbour foreshore.
Crowning Glory
Jewelled Crown Cake by The Ladygloom
It’s a long weekend in most parts of Australia with today being a public holiday for the Queen’s Birthday. It’s always nice to have an extra day off and spend time with firends and family. I thought I would share with you some right royal images I have found to make your interior fit for a Queen.
Cushion by French Country
Regal Wallpaper from Cucci Interiors
Timber Gift Tags from Venucci
Regal Purple - the colour of kings
Royal Dog
Happy Birthday Your Majesty.
Wow Power
Dutch company Eijffinger has just released a new collection of wall images called Wallpower Next.
Wallpaper Next provides so many options for interior decorating with 80 new images and include stunning, huge single-motif designs along with wall sized designs, drawings and text panels created by Eijffinger’s own design studio.
These images really get the imagination racing and provide limitless possibilities for any room. These are some of my favourites.
Bridge over troubled waters perhaps
I have to love this one, it's my corporate colours!!!!
Turn it down
Breakfast time can feel like this
Take time to smell the roses
Anywhere but here
Time Out
Queensland Homes Magazine
My winter issue of Queensland Homes has just landed in my letterbox. As an ex-Queenslander, I love this mag. The houses and interiors are all so inviting. It always amazes me at the Queenslanders liberal use of colour, something Sydney-siders just don’t seem to do. However a quick flick through this issue I see that it’s not all colour in Queensland. These photos show a more neutral palette but with a tiny splash of colour.
via Queensland Homes
via Queensland Homes
Queensland Homes is not just about timber houses on stilts. The wonderful interiors which flow to the outdoors are inspiring for any home owner wanting an indoor-outdoor living space. The magazine often features fabulous designers of interiors, furniture, homewares and art as well as great places to go shopping. Just goes to show, Queensland isn’t just a holiday destination!
